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Student board representatives describe role, reported benefits to State Board
Summary
Tess Summer, a senior at Easton Regional High School, told the State Board of Education on Oct. 24 that student school board representatives attend meetings, gather input from peers and present student viewpoints to local boards.
Tess Summer, a senior at Easton Regional High School, told the State Board of Education that her role as a student school board representative is to gather student input, review agendas and present students’ perspectives at meetings.
School officials and student participants described a statewide training program run by the School Boards Association and partner organizations that, they said, teaches students “how to bring student voice to decision making.” Presenters said the program included sessions on school board roles, writing reports and drafting student resolutions and that the training helps student representatives learn how board governance connects to classroom-level decisions.
At the meeting, presenters described practical follow-up steps student reps use, including suggestion boxes, outreach to freshman classes and mentoring of incoming reps so that juniors who serve can be prepared to take over as seniors. They said duties often require two to four hours a month for meetings plus additional time preparing and conducting outreach to students.
Presenters and board members discussed a budget-simulation exercise used in trainings that forces student teams to prioritize spending (special education, teacher pay, transportation, AP classes, technology and extracurriculars) using a limited number of points. Presenters said the exercise helps students understand tradeoffs school boards face during budget season.
Board members and presenters also discussed how student participation can build civic skills and future leadership: presenters gave examples of students who used the experience to create senior projects, draft a legislative service request (LSR 25-0729 was cited as an example presented by a student) and otherwise pursue public-service goals.
No formal Board votes were required for the student presentation. The Board expressed support for the training model and for the use of Extended Learning Opportunities to give student reps credit when appropriate.
Ending: Board members thanked the students and district representatives for the presentation and encouraged continued outreach to expand the student-representative network.
